What is the Best Shampoo for Horses?

What Do You Need Your Horse’s Shampoo to Do? 

• Consider what your horse’s skin and coat need before you pick a product. Then look for the gentlest one you can find so your horse’s natural oils and protections remain in place. You can find equine shampoos that:

• • Remove stains
  • Create shine
  • Brighten white
  • Counteract sun bleaching
  • Soothe irritated skin
  • Support healthy skin
  • Help with dry skin

• Then you can begin to narrow down the choices. If you have a shampoo that’s a gold standard, but you want to branch out, have fun shopping.

For stain removal – make every ounce count:

• Try a dry shampoo or a spot cleaner. These treat stains, not the whole horse. The bonus is that they are no-rinse, you can use them in the winter, and one bottle lasts a long time.

• I find that a thorough curry combing before tackling a stain, then using a spot remover with a hot, steamy towel, will lift 99.9% of stains. There’s no need to shampoo the whole horse!

• If your horse has large swaths of stain, opt for a color correction and brightening shampoo. Purple shampoos interact with the yellow coloring to neutralize it.

• Strong whitening shampoos often benefit from a conditioner or grooming oil after bathing to coat and protect the hair from future stains.

For conditioning and shine creating:

• Look for a product with mild, gentle, and shiny claims. It won’t be the tough stain-removing version or the heavy-duty shampoo. These are too harsh and don’t condition the hair.

• Remember that oils and shine are your horse’s way to block stains, so keeping as much oil on your horse is ideal.

• A milder shampoo does the trick. Avoid words like turbo, detergent, and mega strong on bottles.

• Silicones in shampoos are a thing and can enhance stain protection and shine.

For brightening whites:

• A horse shampoo that’s typically blue or purple does the trick to brighten whites. It’s a play on light and can make your horse’s chrome pop. Sometimes, they are super drying, so use them sparingly.

• Also, work extra hard with curry comb action and shine sprays after a bath to help put some oily protection back on your horse. I consider these “special occasion” shampoos.

• Incidentally, most brightening shampoos will work fantastically on horses of color, too. The ingredients add sparkle and shine to all horses.

Shampoo colors to match your horse.

The best shampoo for horses to counteract sun bleaching:

• Another great time to bust out the mild shampoo here. The goal is to remove the salt and dirt, but leave shine and oil to prevent future sun bleaching.

• You can also find handy shampoos that are tinted to match your horse, which will add some color back in.

• Battling sun bleaching can be a marathon, not a sprint, so think about overall skin and coat health. For more on sun bleaching, this article is for you.

To soothe irritated skin:

• Herbal ingredients such as lemongrass and tea tree oil are known to be soothing to the skin. These ingredients are going to be on the milder end of shampoos for healthy skin and natural oil protection.

• Be sure to do a patch test if your horse is sensitive to some ingredients. Essential oils and other additives may create an allergic reaction.

• Remember that any skin infection can have a multitude of causes (bacterial, fungal, allergic, mites/lice), so your vet should be involved from the beginning to diagnose and treat any skin issues.

To support healthy skin with conditioners:

• Equine conditioners work like human ones – to soften the hair and add some protection.

• You can opt for a traditional, creamy formula or try a grooming oil.

• Oil buffing is an excellent way to sponge your horse with a conditioner that doesn’t need to be rinsed afterward. You can also hot towel grooming oils into the coat in cooler weather.

To help with dry skin:

• Oatmeal is an ingredient to look for here, as are some of the herbal and essential oil shampoos.

• Also, add in extra curry comb sessions, and have your Vet make sure your horse has a balanced diet. For super dry skin, your vet may find that mites or some skin infections are causing issues and dry skin.

“Homemade” ingredients – dish soap, coconut oils, ketchup, argan oil

• For the sake of convenience, making your own horse shampoo isn’t a great idea. It’s easier to pick up a bottle and go.

• Dish soap is harsh, drying, and removes all of the sebum that shines and protects your horse’s skin and coat.

• Coconut oils are best used in small amounts and may work well as a detangler.

• Aside from the ick factor of ketchup, you still need to clean your horse’s tail afterward. The “active” ingredient in ketchup is vinegar, so you can skip the tomatoes and use a vinegar rinse with the same benefits.

• Argan oil is another thing you can try as a detangler, although I’ve found it leaves the hair clumpy and obviously oiled.

The Best Shampoo for Horse Manes and Tails

• Most of the time, using the same body shampoo on your horse’s mane and tail is perfect. But pay attention to the hair itself – if it’s dry and takes up stains, treat that and add a layer of conditioner.

• You may want to do a deep conditioning treatment on tails, leaving some conditioner in overnight in a braid or tail bag. Rinse it the next day.

• For manes and tails in winter, you can spot clean with a no-rinse shampoo and work that into the hair and wipe clean.

Top Brands to Consider: Eqyss, Cowboy Magic, and Shapley’s

• There are dozens of shampoos for horses, with all different price points. Eqyss is affordable, as are Cowboy Magic and Shapley’s, and smell great. Cowboy Magic is known for their tail detangler, and Shapley’s has the most variety of products.

Ingredients can help you pick the right shampoo.

Please have fun bathing your horse, and avoid using people products and detergents at all costs! Also, detergents are for laundry – not living, breathing creatures. For more reasons to never use detergents and cleaners on horses, this article explains it all. Whatever your horse needs, be sure to send me some before and after pictures. #frommudtoshine